Scientific Reports (Oct 2019)

Homogeneous nucleation of corundum nanocrystallites by rapid heating of aluminum formate hydroxide-based precursor powder

  • Michiyuki Yoshida,
  • Yuta Kato,
  • Yasunori Oumi,
  • Osamu Sakurada,
  • Makoto Tanaka,
  • Masashi Wada,
  • Satoshi Kitaoka

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51156-2
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Abstract The high density nucleation of α-Al2O3 nanocrystallites was observed by rapid heating of the aluminum formate hydroxide-based precursor powder at 1200 °C for 50 s. The nucleation of α-Al2O3 nanocrystallites with less 10 nm in size from high purity aluminum oxide matrix has not been observed to our knowledge. Based on the results of XRD and TEM, α-Al2O3 nanocrystallites nucleated from the amorphous phase which formed after thermal decomposition of the precursor powder. Subsequently, α-Al2O3 with hollow rod-like morphology formed through coalescence and growth of nanocrystallites after heating at 1200 °C for 1 min. The results obtained in this paper indicates a possible beneficial effect of the rapid heating and cooling of the aluminum formate hydroxide-based precursor powder on the precipitation of α-Al2O3 nanocrystallites.